National Basketball League proposes Kitchener franchise

National Basketball League

Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press

Tim Ellis of the London Lightning defends against Taliek Brown of the Halifax Rainmen during the National Basketball League championship game on March 25 in London, Ont. London won 116-92. The league is looking at possibly granting Kitchener a franchise.

National Basketball League

Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press

The London Lightning celebrate their National Basketball League championship victory over Halifax on March 25 in London, Ont. The league is looking at possible expansion to Kitchener.

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Mayor Carl Zehr met with NBL president and chief executive officer Andre Levingston to hear his proposal as to why Kitchener should be the next city to join the league.

“We just wanted to see if the mayor would embrace the opportunity of professional basketball being played in Kitchener, and he seemed pretty enthusiastic about it,” Levingston said. “Naturally there is a lot of due diligence to be done on everyone’s side, but we had a good initial meeting.”

The seven-team professional men’s basketball league tipped off its inaugural season in late 2011. In March, the London Lightning defeated the Halifax Rainmen in the finals to become the league’s first champions.

Levingston said he feels the success seen recently in the London market, both on the court and in the office, can be replicated in Kitchener.

“There is definitely a passion for basketball in the city. They have a beautiful venue,” Levingston said, referring to the Aud. “We think it would be a natural rivalry for the city of London.”

While Zehr said he will certainly look into the possibility, he feels that starting up a team in Kitchener by the start of next season is very short notice.

“It’s an intriguing possibility and we always like to be open to new opportunities in this community,” Zehr said. “But there is absolutely, at this point in time, no definitive answer that was given to them, nor would I be in the position to do so because I don’t know all of the details at this time, nor what the requirements are.”

The NBL features elite basketball talent from across North America, highlighted by several players who have spent time in the NBA, Levingston said.

“It’s a high level of basketball and great entertainment,” he said. “It is family affordable too . . . we like for a family of four to be able to go to a game cheaper than you can go to a movie. It’s a great family night out.”

The NBL is also currently working towards bringing teams to the cities of Kingston and Windsor.